The Relationship between Work-life Balance Programs and Employee Satisfaction: Gender Differences in the Moderating Effect of Annual Income

Abstract

This article examines whether fullness of work-life balance (WLB) programs influence employee satisfaction and whether this relationship is moderated by employee income. Using the data collected from 2972 Japanese employees, the present study reveals a significant positive effect of WLB programs on satisfaction with WLB, job, and organizations for male employees, but a significant effect only on satisfaction with organizations for female employees. Further, some of these relationships are found to be moderated by annual employee income such that the effect of WLB program fullness is greater for higher income employees than for lower income employees.